1976 Opel Manta coupe. A long haul project. More parts acquired

[sutty2006]

52 minutes ago, Jenson Velcro said:

Is it one of those situations where some brut force is required? Open the boot, grab the corners and twist the panel slightly?

Yes I think it is. I’ve been informed the hinges go abit “wandery” over time so I might have to get medieval on it. 
 

I got the interior light working. Had to mess around with the switch. But it doesn’t work off the doors so need to look into the door switches. 
 

 

and while I’ve been tinkering, I found my machine polisher and got most of the over spray off the nosecone. 
 

 

and accidentally put some old skool mur polish on it 🤣

 

 

good stuff this is!

 

 

 

[sutty2006]

It’s official, shell stamped October 1975. I think these cars production started in august , two months before. 
 

 

[JeeExEll]

Years ago a mate from College had a P-reg 1900 coupe which pissed out oil everywhere when he bought it. He put a standard Fiat 2000 twin cam and 5-speed from a 132 in it, not a difficult swap but if I remember correctly doing the exhaust manifold was 'challenging' and was never really right. Twin cam sounded good.

Was just a 10 year old car for getting about in and he replaced it with an early Capri 2.8 once his wages improved  as apprenticeship progressed, but much debt committment at that time. 

There was a standard looking Chevanne with a 2- litre Pinto out of a Cortina at some point along the way.  Rear axle from an earlier Opel, possible 'A'  Manta or Kadett. I sold him the Chevanne in standard 1256 form for something like £120.

[MAF260]

I've not long found this thread and really enjoyed reading through it. I had a 1976 1.9 Berlinetta way back when I was 19. I bent a valve chasing a XR2 so threw in a later 2.0 engine which subsequently went up to Peter Maiden Rallying for a rebuild and upgrade at great expense. I fitted a few extras to the car - twin headlights, Spax suspension, sound system etc. and drove the wheels off it. Here's one of the few photos I have of it, parked up when spectating the Lombard RAC rally some time in the 80s. Note the 'new' Series 1 RST it's parked behind!

[sutty2006]

4 hours ago, MAF260 said:

I've not long found this thread and really enjoyed reading through it. I had a 1976 1.9 Berlinetta way back when I was 19. I bent a valve chasing a XR2 so threw in a later 2.0 engine which subsequently went up to Peter Maiden Rallying for a rebuild and upgrade at great expense. I fitted a few extras to the car - twin headlights, Spax suspension, sound system etc. and drove the wheels off it. Here's one of the few photos I have of it, parked up when spectating the Lombard RAC rally some time in the 80s. Note the 'new' Series 1 RST it's parked behind!

What became of that one? Last taxed in 99 and last V5 issued in 2004…. Be interesting to see if it lived on somewhere! 

[MAF260]

4 hours ago, sutty2006 said:

What became of that one? Last taxed in 99 and last V5 issued in 2004…. Be interesting to see if it lived on somewhere! 

I'd love to know too. I sank way too much money into it as I loved it. Red velour interior as well as the go faster bits! I recall it had a hunger for clutches and I eventually got changing them down to a fine art. I can't remember the best time I managed (doing it in the road outside my parents' house), but even a mate who was a mechanic was impressed!

[EyesWeldedShut]

12 minutes ago, MAF260 said:

I'd love to know too. I sank way too much money into it as I loved it. Red velour interior as well as the go faster bits! I recall it had a hunger for clutches and I eventually got changing them down to a fine art. I can't remember the best time I managed (doing it in the road outside my parents' house), but even a mate who was a mechanic was impressed!

Am I correct in thinking that I saw the Monday/Royale with a (lurid) red velour interior around that time?

[sutty2006]

10 minutes ago, EyesWeldedShut said:

Am I correct in thinking that I saw the Monday/Royale with a (lurid) red velour interior around that time?

There were lots of funky velour interiors in those days. Green, red, tan, blue, burnt orange…. much more appealing than todays offerings! 

[adw1977]

You could have your lurid red velour ribbed for your pleasure in a Viceroy:

Or crushed (with wood) in a Royale:

Oct 1980 brochure

[sutty2006]

I was going to fit the ignition barrel that matches the lock set I have, for a full set of locks to one key. However the casting is broken and the locking ring is missing. So I’ve had to leave the other barrel in. 
 

 

lower dash panels are in

 

 

[Bmwdumptruck]

On 15/08/2024 at 11:18, MAF260 said:

My first decent car was a VX Cavalier Sportshatch 2.0 in bright red. Loved it, so much better than my mates cortinas and capris. I can remember college lunchtimes when most weeks one of them had to go out at lunch to fix there heaps so they could get home.  Mine just started and worked every time.  When I got the cash I bought a bodykit for it, from vauxhalls sports department. Basically a bumper nose cone from under the lights which then had mounts for the combined fog and indicator from earlier vx4/90s, and I had what was supposed to be the last pair of those lights that vauxhall had in the main warehouse just outside luton.  Kit had matching wrap around rear bumper and I added the side skirts from the later Manta GTE models. Took the lot down to my uncles bodyshop in devon to fit and spray it all up.  At the last minute I found a pair of the quad lights for sale so took them down, got Uncle to spray them and fitted them too.   Had to sell it a few years later, so wish I hadn’t but buying my first flat was more important at the time.  
But get this, I still have the lights. Been sat in a tea chest out in the garage for years waiting for if or when I buy another Sportshatch or coupe…..  
Remember when  Car sos did a manta and they had to get the quad light set remade as they just couldn’t buy them….🤔

[MAF260]

The quad lights were readily available in 1988. I recall they cost quite a bit and weren't very well made. I had to spend some time with filler etc to get a decent finish on the fibreglass pods before painting them and had to reposition some of the mountings. The lamps were Cibie items which I fitted with 55/100w bulbs in the outers and 100w bulbs in the spotlights - night vision was excellent! I dreamed of fitting a Manta 400 body kit, but that was way beyond my finances at the time.

[sutty2006]

3 hours ago, Bmwdumptruck said:

My first decent car was a VX Cavalier Sportshatch 2.0 in bright red. Loved it, so much better than my mates cortinas and capris. I can remember college lunchtimes when most weeks one of them had to go out at lunch to fix there heaps so they could get home.  Mine just started and worked every time.  When I got the cash I bought a bodykit for it, from vauxhalls sports department. Basically a bumper nose cone from under the lights which then had mounts for the combined fog and indicator from earlier vx4/90s, and I had what was supposed to be the last pair of those lights that vauxhall had in the main warehouse just outside luton.  Kit had matching wrap around rear bumper and I added the side skirts from the later Manta GTE models. Took the lot down to my uncles bodyshop in devon to fit and spray it all up.  At the last minute I found a pair of the quad lights for sale so took them down, got Uncle to spray them and fitted them too.   Had to sell it a few years later, so wish I hadn’t but buying my first flat was more important at the time.  
But get this, I still have the lights. Been sat in a tea chest out in the garage for years waiting for if or when I buy another Sportshatch or coupe…..  
Remember when  Car sos did a manta and they had to get the quad light set remade as they just couldn’t buy them….🤔

Trouble is, they didn’t look very far for them. 
 

I’ve got a set of quads in my unit doing nothing. 
 

Front number plate fitted. Broken, but fitted. Weirdly it’s a very strong ally plate. 

 

air filter arrived in good time. Quite like it! 
 

 

 

ordered a new gasket for it tonight. 
 

 

[sutty2006]

When you’re looking through takeaway boxes full of parts and found a rubber grommet. Hey! I know where this goes! 
 

 

every hole!

 

 

ahhh that’s better

 

[sutty2006]

Gasket came, that’s now sorted. 
 

 

and I bought some fresh rubber and gave the windscreen a clean. 
 

[Carl1981]

What’s the intention with the finish on this? Is going to have a full respect back to original or something else? (Apologies if you’ve already stated it somewhere!).

following this thread now as it looks like it’s going to be a great thing when finished.

[sutty2006]

29 minutes ago, Carl1981 said:

What’s the intention with the finish on this? Is going to have a full respect back to original or something else? (Apologies if you’ve already stated it somewhere!).

following this thread now as it looks like it’s going to be a great thing when finished.

At the moment, it’s going to look like a piece of shit when it’s finished. I have a budget of £zero to get the body work done so I want to get it road worthy and useable for now until I have some sort of budget in the future. Maybe. 

[Carl1981]

3 minutes ago, sutty2006 said:

At the moment, it’s going to look like a piece of shit when it’s finished. I have a budget of £zero to get the body work done so I want to get it road worthy and useable for now until I have some sort of budget in the future. Maybe. 

So more of an honest finish then? Patina’d 😂 

it will still be a great thing when done, I can’t remember when I last saw one.

[sutty2006]

17 minutes ago, Carl1981 said:

So more of an honest finish then? Patina’d 😂 

it will still be a great thing when done, I can’t remember when I last saw one.

Yeah that’s right. It’ll be one of those “I’ll get round to it one day” looks. Or I’ll just get rid of it. I’ve come to the realisation that it’ll never look like this 

 

 

which is a Belgium manta S I saw at a Dutch show 10 years ago.

[sutty2006]

Started cleaning 4.6million years worth of crud dust and muck from the interior. 3 buckets of water to get this kit semi clean. It was a mess! 
 

 

 

 

and I’ve started sorting the floor out with some insulation/sound deadening. Can’t go too mad with it else the carpets won’t fit. 
 

 

 

[sutty2006]

Front carpet extracted from the garage roof. Looks a bit manky really.

 

 

especially this bit of red….. 👀 

 

 

given it a quick clean. Like the seats, any type of agressive cleaning techniques will bugger the material up permanently. So just gone gentle with it. 
 

 

[Matty]

Love it. My 85 GTE rocked my world. Made Capris look poor.

[Snake Charmer]

I always found the pre-facelift carpets quite hard wearing and resilient to cleaning. I pressure washed a front section for my Ascona, that made the pile stand to attention!

[sutty2006]

carpets gone in. Centre console in. Left door seal and kick panels in! Tonight’s been productive! 
 

 

[Snake Charmer]

Is that a later rear seat?

[sutty2006]

1 hour ago, Snake Charmer said:

Is that a later rear seat?

Possibly, by a year or two. It’s definitely not 1.8 or GTE. I’m not clued up on interiors, but in all honesty, the chances of finding a correct interior now is very slim indeed. 

[sutty2006]

Passenger seat in. 

[Snake Charmer]

I cannot remember the material name on the early cars, the later black plastic bumper cars had more of a brushed nylon and different style door cards. A bit of Googlefoo found a new set on Ebay.

Does that include the car? 

[sutty2006]

1 hour ago, Snake Charmer said:

I cannot remember the material name on the early cars, the later black plastic bumper cars had more of a brushed nylon and different style door cards. A bit of Googlefoo found a new set on Ebay.

Does that include the car? 

Jesus I didn’t pay that much for everything 🤣

[sutty2006]

Drivers seat in. It’s pretty wank tbh. Feels like the foamy bits inside aren’t foamy anymore. 
 

 

rear seats are comfy though, I’ve always preferred the view from behind